Life Science Recruitment Marketing: How to Reach and Attract Quality Candidates

In today’s competitive job market, simply posting a job opening is not enough. Learn how strong recruitment marketing can help your company stand out.

illustration showing resumes for a job search

The life science industry has experienced rapid growth since the pandemic and the demand for life sciences talent continues to grow exponentially. With that increase in demand comes difficulty in finding candidates with the specialized skills required to fill roles. Even though a record number of people are graduating with a life sciences degree (U.S. graduates totaled more than 171,520 in 2021, which is a record and more than double what it was 15 years ago), the life sciences industry had the second lowest unemployment rate out of all U.S. occupations in 2022.

It’s clear that in today’s competitive job market, simply posting a job opening is not enough to attract the top qualified candidates. But by having strong recruitment marketing that promotes your science brand and showcases who you are, what you offer, and how a candidate can thrive in your environment, you can attract quality candidates with the right skills. 

Establish Employer Branding

View HP’s sponsored article in C&EN.

So, how exactly do you capture the attention of premier life science candidates? The first step, and the key to securing top talent, is to establish your employer branding. In fact, 75% of prospective candidates will consider a company’s employer brand before they apply for a job, and  64% of candidates will research a company to determine their online reputation before anything else. Because of this, it’s crucial to have consistent messaging around what your workplace offers in regard to culture, benefits, and opportunities for growth.

For example, Hewlett Packard is a global powerhouse known for its advances in technology. However, HP wanted to improve their reputation as a chemical company, one that hires not only engineers, but also chemists and chemical
engineers.

By creating a campaign that showcased their talent in the chemical space, as well as their resources and culture of innovation, they were able to garner more than 1 million impressions while driving visitors to open positions within the company.

Create an Effective Careers Page

Once you have your employer branding in a good place, it’s important to have a dedicated place to showcase it. The careers page on your website is a perfect spot to direct your audience for insight into the organization and convert them into applicants. Key indicators of a good career page include: 

  1. Easy to navigate 
  2. Candidates can simplistically search for jobs, manage, and check progress of applications
  3. Applicants can learn about the company culture and expectations – when considering a move, candidates want to know exactly what’s in it for them 

On top of all of this, be sure that your careers page is mobile friendly. In a  2020 report by Appcast, mobile job applications actually exceeded desktop applications in 2020 for the first time ever, with 60.7% of applications being submitted through mobile compared to just 39.3% via desktop. 

Grab Attention with Engaging Content

What’s all of this effort worth without a comprehensive campaign strategy to effectively reach your target audience? It’s crucial to create engaging content that is going to attract both active and passive jobseekers. Here are some content ideas on how to grab the attention of potential applicants: 

  1. Share life science industry news or promote relevant upcoming events 
  2. Create articles providing career advice 
  3. Tell employee stories! Highlight exactly what a career at that company could look like and satisfy the 66% of candidates that want to hear from employees 
View ShanghaiTech University’s custom article on C&EN.

For example, ShanghaiTech University created a campaign centered around employee stories to drive more than 80 quality candidate applications.

A custom article in C&EN featured faculty members from around the world who were drawn to ShanghaiTech to do cutting-edge research in the chemical sciences. The article and companion recruitment campaign was able to meet aggressive goals and draw in high-bar candidates despite a competitive marketplace. 

To promote the engaging content you create, be proactive and creative in your approach. Use social media channels as a popular and cost-effective channel to showcase what you have to offer, create targeted email campaigns, or even implement an employee referral program to help people discover new job opportunities that they trust. 

Finally, as you probably already have recruitment marketing content, consider how you could go back and alter that content to put your culture and offerings at the front and center and be responsive to what jobseekers want. In using the right language and keywords that speak to what the current workforce is seeking in a career shift, you can target top tier candidates through job advertisements, social media posts, and even copywriting on your website’s careers page. 

In today’s competitive job market and as the demand for life sciences talent will continue to increase, it’s essential that you develop strong recruitment marketing. Using these tools to showcase your employer brand and highlight what you have to offer to a candidate will enable you to reach and attract quality applicants. 

Looking for help with your next recruitment marketing campaign? Visit C&ENJobs or contact us to discuss a custom opportunity.

Start generating more leads today!

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Sammi Wang

Account Manager
sammi@echinachem.com

Sammi is the General Manager China of eChinaChem, where she has worked since 2005 and previously served as Vice President and Sales Manager. eChinaChem offers news media, conferences and events, as well as education and training services in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and healthcare sectors in China. Before eChinaChem, she worked at GlobalSources as an Account Executive. Sammi received her MBA from the University of International Business and Economics and her undergraduate degree from Yantai University.

Sales Territory: China 

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Kyra Luttermann

Account Manager
kl@intermediapartners.de

Kyra Luttermann is an IT & AI Specialist with a strong academic background, complemented by deep knowledge in Philosophy. She holds advanced training from the University of Oxford in Artificial Intelligence. Kyra excels in AI prompting, consulting, and sales, effectively helping customers reach their target audiences. Since joining IMP and ACS in 2023, she has been instrumental in advancing ACS’s mission, representing the next generation of innovative leaders in the field.

Sales Territories: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ireland, Scandinavia, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, East Central Europe and The Middle East

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Uwe Riemeyer

Uwe Riemeyer is a seasoned Global Media Specialist with over 25 years of experience in media sales, consulting, and planning, primarily for the global chemical industry. Since 1997, he has been affiliated with ACS and operates his own successful media business in Germany. Uwe’s expertise spans all B2B industry segments and related media outlets, supported by a solid foundation in economics and an initial career in the automotive industry. His comprehensive knowledge and strategic insights make him a key player in media planning and consulting.

Sales Territories: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Ireland, Scandinavia, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, East Central Europe and The Middle East

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Jim Beckwith

Account Manager
j.beckwith@jgeco.com

Jim Beckwith brings his skills to ACS after a lengthy media consulting career in both for-profit and non-profit media. He specializes in helping advertising partners “connect the dots” between their marketing/lead generation objectives and the wide range of opportunities in the ACS Media portfolio. Jim works with advertisers based in the Southeast and Eastern U.S.

Sales Territories: US East Coast and Southeast 

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Beth Kurup

Beth Kurup is an Account Manager based in Los Angeles, California. She handles marketing programs for clients in the Western United States. Beth’s media and marketing background aid her in creating strategic plans for clients with a focus on details and meeting objectives.  

Sales Territory: US West Coast Sales

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Pete Manfre

Account Manager
p_manfre@acs.org

Except for a brief hiatus in 2022, Pete Manfre has been a fixture at ACS since 2015, helping clients navigate the complex B2B digital landscape. Over the years, Pete has gained the trust of many science marketing leaders with his honest and straightforward approach. His unique insights and expertise have benefitted the small companies looking to gain traction with new potential customers and the well-known industry brands looking to elevate their thought leadership and capture bigger market-share.

Sales Territories: ACS Meetings Exhibition and Sponsorships (ACS Spring, ACS Fall and Pacifichem) 

Chris Nolan

Chris Nolan

Chris Nolan has been creating solutions for C&EN and ACS advertisers since 2017. After growing the western US territory to $1.6M from $800k, he was promoted to national sales manager in 2021. He is based in Chicago and covers the central US and Canada. His background in media solutions includes successful production for such well known global media brands as Fortune, INC, Fast Company, The Nikkei, the FT, and The Globe & Mail.

Sales Territories: US Midwest and Northeast East Coast; Canada; Australia; New Zealand and South America

Mariam Agha 

Account & Marketing Manager
CENBrandLab@acs.org

Mariam is an account manager here at C&EN BrandLab. She works with our clients, art and production teams within C&EN to deliver effective ad campaigns. 

Jordan Nutting Ph.D.

Senior Editor
CENBrandLab@acs.org

Jordan is a Senior Editor at C&EN BrandLab. While earning her Ph.D. in chemistry she also pursued her passion for writing and communication, including a stint as a science reporter during the COVID-19 pandemic. She now funnels her love of words and chemistry into creating compelling science stories and content.

Jesse Harris

Senior Editor
CENBrandLab@acs.org

Jesse Harris is a Senior Editor at C&EN BrandLab. He has been creating internet content since 2016, and has Master’s degrees in both chemistry and chemical engineering. He loves helping STEM experts communicate their science more impactfully.

Shane M Hanlon Ph.D.

Executive Editor
CENBrandLab@acs.org

Shane leads BrandLab’s strategic initiatives and projects. As a conservation biologist turned science communicator and storyteller, Shane brings years of creative and relationship-building experience to BrandLab from his work in the federal government, the National Academies, and scientific membership nonprofits. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh, from which he obtained his B.S. in Ecology and Evolution, and holds a Ph.D. in biology from the University of Memphis.

Heather Lockhart-Neff 

Account & Marketing Manager
CENBrandLab@acs.org

Heather co-leads account management at C&EN BrandLab. She utilizes efficiency and strategy when working with our clients and production teams within C&EN to deliver effective and engaging campaigns. Heather has a passion for telling dynamic stories through multimedia communication channels and brings creativity, curiosity, and charisma to BrandLab partnerships. She obtained her B.S. in International Relations from The College of Wooster in Ohio. 

Cynthia Graham-Tappan 

Managing Director, Sales Strategic Partnerships
CENBrandLab@acs.org

Cynthia Graham-Tappan is an accomplished sales leader with over 15+ years’ experience leading global B2B sales teams within the publishing & media industries.  She has held executive positions with The New York Times, Dow Jones, Agence France Presse, Hearst Corporation and currently oversee Sales & Strategic Partnerships for ACS.   Cynthia has a proven expertise in crafting strategic partnerships, steering high-performing sales teams, and propelling revenue growth. Cynthia also has extensive experience in performance management, market research, digital media monetization, and business development.

Cynthia received her B.S. degree from Towson University and recently completed Executive Education courses with The Yale School of Management and London Business School.  Cynthia resides in Maryland with her husband, and she is a proud mom of four kids.

Kenneth Phan 

Creative Director
CENBrandLab@acs.org

Kenneth is a creative leader with 20 years of experience in in-house and boutique design agencies. He is currently senior creative director for the American Chemical Society’s marketing and communications team. Previously, he was senior creative director for ACS Publications, an international scientific publisher that serves chemistry and related sciences. Kenneth is passionate about translating client business goals into impactful and innovative advertising solutions. Under his leadership, ACS has won numerous awards and accolades for its exceptional design work.